"I think it's outrageous. It's not put there for that, for you to take advantage of it," said Clenisha Welch, a woman receiving money for herself and her daughter through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

The state issues Welch and other recipients an electronic benefit transfer card to help pay for basic necessities.

"It's meant for you, if you're low on income and you need some gas to get to and from work, or your kids need some shoes or something to eat," Welch said. "That's what it's for."

But KMBC 9's Haley Harrison sorted through more than 200,000 transactions and found a few TANF cards being used in resort communities from Honolulu to the Virgin Islands to the Vegas strip. Those records also showed the cards in use at a Kansas City gentleman's club, a four-star luxury Kansas City hotel and an adult bookstore.

Under the policy set by Missouri's Department of Social Services, those purchases are permitted. The only restriction on TANF spending is that the cards can't be used at casinos.

Missouri Auditor Thomas Schweich said his office is investigating.

"We don't just look at whether something is being legally spent. We look at whether something is being properly spent," Schweich said. "My attitude is this, if you've got one family out there that can't make ends meet because some other family is going to a casino, spending their TANF money, that's a problem."

Missouri lawmakers are working on new legislation to restrict TANF spending.

"It taints the program and makes it look like everybody is abusing the system, and I don't think that's the case," said Missouri state Sen. Will Kraus.

For many families, TANF is the difference between getting back on their feet and struggling to survive. Welch said she hopes no one takes that opportunity for granted.